The proper playing posture for bowed string musical instruments such as violins and violas requires the user or musician to secure a portion of the instrument between the their chin and their collar bone. In this position, there is a gap between the underside of the instrument and the user's body. A shoulder rest is used to “fill” this gap and provide support for the instrument, cushioning for the user, and help prevent shoulder strain.
Bridge style shoulder rests are commonly used with bowed string instruments and include two clamping elements with a rigid pad suspended between them. The clamping elements are manually adjusted in order to couple the shoulder rest to the instrument. While these shoulder rests provide for secure attachment to the instrument, they are not easily installed on the instrument, and are not able to be adjusted while the instrument is being played, which is recognized to be an important part of proper posture and playing technique. Moreover, the construction and heaviness of these shoulder rests cause significant sound dampening and make them cumbersome to transport and store.
Other shoulder rests use pads that are attached directly to the back of the instrument. These shoulder rests use a temporary adhesive or one or more elastic bands to retain the pad or pads against the bottom surface of the instrument. The benefit of these shoulder rests is that they are generally easy to install and store while allowing for free movement and adjustment during use. However, having the large surface of the pad or a separate backing in direct contact with the instrument produces significant sound dampening. Moreover, such pads tend to be too thick such that, when in use, they do not allow a portion of the instrument to sit on the user's collar bone. This will cause the user's arms to be held in and unnatural position and become strained over time while playing.
The foregoing background describes some, but not necessarily all, of the problems, disadvantages and shortcomings related to current shoulder rests. There is a general and pervasive need in the field to provide a shoulder rest that is easy to install on the instrument and store while also being easily adjusted by the musician and providing minimal interference with the sound production of the instrument when in use.